Even after many hours of play, Go players hardly feel any fatigue when they play with these boards and they enjoy clear snapping sounds during long hours. Go boards made from Hyuga Kaya wood are often used in various notable Go tile matches all around the world. In addition, as these Kaya trees grow in rocky mountain areas, the distance between each annual ring is very close and dense. Among Japanese Kaya trees, “Hyuga Kaya” grown in Miyazaki area on Kyushu island, produces the highest quality wood, because it is grown in an environment with significant temperature differences, with lots of rainfall and direct sunlight, all of these natural factors being essential to create beautiful and clear grain patterns. In general, people say that Japanese Hon-Kaya is the best and the Chinse one is the second best.

Kaya trees can be categorized into two types, “Japanese Hon-Kaya (Japanese nutmeg-yew)” and “Chinese Hon-Kaya”, which mainly grow in Yunnan Province in China. Kaya is highly evaluated because of its adequate softness, beautiful grain patterns, color, shine, and even fragrance. People say that the best and most suitable wood to make Go& Shogi board is Kaya wood (Japanese nutmeg-yew or Torreya Nucifera).

“Hyuga Kaya”, The Highest Quality Go & Shogi Board Tachi-mori

Goban go board